The present invention relates to mobile cooking systems used to feed large numbers of people in the field. Specifically, a burner system which utilizes a multi-fuel burner is provided for providing a portable source of heat for a variety of cooking applications and sanitary applications.
The operational effectiveness of a military unit when on maneuvers depends upon successfully feeding a large number of personnel in the field. Various cooking stations and equipment for sanitizing cooking utensils have been developed for this purpose which are portable and field-ready. One such system in widespread use is the M-59 Field Range. The Field Range comprises a heating cabinet with a vertical column of cooking stations, one of which is dedicated to baking, one to frying and one for heating containers of liquid. In the past, a single gasoline fuel burner has been used to supply heat to the M-59 Field Range which is positioned in one of two vertical locations within the M-59 Field Range Heating Cabinet, depending on the particular cooking task.
The M-59 Field Range heating cabinet and its burner, known as the M2 burner, while providing satisfactory utility in the field, has its limitations. For instance, when heating large containers, such as a fifteen gallon stock pot, the heat output from the burner, and heat transfer between the burner and the heating cabinet is low, which disadvantageously increases the time for heating the pot to a cooking temperature.
The previous gasoline fired M2 burners also provide significant safety issues for personnel using the M-59 Field Range. When moving the gasoline fired burner of the prior art, the device must be cooled down before it can be refueled, or repositioned within the M-59 heating cabinet. Accordingly, a burner which uses a less volatile fuel is desirable to facilitate use of the heater in a safe manner.